Kandy: a moment of clarity

Kandy is a little shock to the senses, if you’ve just stepped off the tranquil Ella to Kandy train. Hot, hectic, noisy and polluted Kandy is Sri Lanka’s second largest city and if you arrive during the Esala Perahera (Festival of the tooth) it’s insanely busy! Don’t be fooled into thinking that because Kandy is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the most important Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, that an air of zen hovers over the city like the early morning mist; it doesn’t – just exhaust fumes.

However, though the cacophony and dust, Kandy is captivatingly seductive and when you move away from the tuk tuk saturated roads, silent mysticism beckons. Known as the City of Kings, and surrounded by forested hills, Kandy sprawls around a central lake which forms the swirling heart of the city. It is the historical and cultural capital of Sri Lanka, and as the last city to be taken by colonial rule in 1815 it was able to preserve much of its customs, culture, and arts.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is an important pilgrimage for many Buddhists in Sri Lanka. The beautifully ornate golden roofed central temple is said to hold within it a casket holding the sacred tooth of Buddha, brought to the temple in the 4^th century. It’s surrounded by many smaller temples, gardens, shrines and museums.

Spiritual alert: I wasn’t planning on writing about my personal experience of the temple, after all it’s personal and to be honest it sounds cringe-worthy clichéd! But I decided to anyway because it gives an insight into why Kandy (and perhaps Sri Lanka as a whole) became such a special place for me, and why I have visited three times and will most likely return again.

Most of us have a moment, a feeling, an epiphany; call it what you will, but there comes a time – often when you least expect it – when you’re pulled inward and a greater sense of self emerges. Whether it’s for seconds, minutes or longer you unequivocally and with great clarity connect with your inner core.  

Call it your soul, authentic self, spirit – whichever word works for you – it really doesn’t matter; but in that moment you know exactly who you are and within that moment, you intuitively know that if you live in accordance with that inner soul of yours, you’ll be a damn sight happier!

This might not happen in a temple, it could be anywhere – in a park, the cinema, on your way to work – anywhere, but hey for me it was unexpectedly in the grounds of a temple! The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic to be precise.

As I peacefully walked barefoot across the grass to the exit gate. I was watching my bare dirty feet tread through the grass and in that moment a river of joy flowed through my body, knocked on my heart and there I was, me, and I liked me and I couldn’t stop smiling (I told you it was clichéd!)

It was a wake-up call and it changed the direction of my life (again).

Since that visit, I’ve had many such moments and many more wake up calls! It became very important to me to create a lifestyle that was in tune with my authentic self. The rediscovery of yoga in Bali (another cliché – I know) then taught me how to regularly tune into my core, and gave me the much needed ability to maintain physical and emotional balance in this crazy world.

I’ve returned to Kandy twice since that visit and whilst I don’t feel the temple is of specific spiritual importance to me per se, I like that I can take some time to sit quietly, be grateful and reconnect whilst letting the hum of the visitors and town drop away.

Temple Tip: it’s important to remember that you need to cover your legs and shoulders and remove your shoes.

Temple cost: Rs.1500

Esala Perahera (Festival of the Tooth)

The smell of burning oil lanterns fills the air as a vast array of dancers some with whirling whips cracking the floor, some with swirling loops of fire and others moving rhythmically to the beating of traditional drums.

The long parade is a riot of colour, music and traditional Kandyan and cultural dancing; regularly interspersed with bejewelled and fairy lit adorned elephants – 60 in total. A replica of the sacred tooth is carried in a gilded casket by the first elephant.

The festival takes place towards the end of July and beginning of August each year and lasts for 5 nights, with the parade taking a different route each night. It’s an important week in the Sri Lankan calendar with people from all over ascending on Kandy for the festivities.

From early morning families begin lining the streets, hours before the actual parade takes place, placing down mats and bags of supplies ready to camp out for the day.

Many shops and cafes on the routes, open up their fronts and balconies with seats for sale, some charging as much as $100.

But don’t worry, you don’t need to buy a seat or set up camp early unless you having a burning desire to be near the entrance of the temple. Spaces on the pavement towards the end of the parade route can be squashed into later in the day free of charge.

Peradeniya Botanical Garden

6 km from the centre of Kandy, accessible by tuk tuk, taxi or bus the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens are an oasis of calm and one of the best Botanical Gardens that I have been to. It is a garden to delight, surprise and wander at your own leisure

Formerly the King’s pleasure gardens, covering 60 hectares and containing 4000 plant species including: long romantic palm framed walkways, giant creaking bamboos of up to 40 metres tall, rubber trees, a wet zone, a spice garden, a magnificent orchid collection, an awesome cannonball tree planted in honour of King George and Queen Mary in 1901 and a colossal trunked Javan fig tree taking central stage on a regal grassy lawn.

You’ll be joined by hundreds of monkeys and a great expanse of bats sleepily hanging in the trees, which is a sight you have to see because me describing it will not do it justice! And maybe a few snakes… (I only saw one).

Adult Entry is RS.1500

Accommodation in Kandy

I have stayed stayed at:

• I stayed in my first Airbnb in Kandy – Amma’s dream, in the Kandy hills, very basic but lovely to chat with Amma, a lady with many stories to tell.
• Aroma Café – nice clean rooms in the centre of Kandy on the parade route, very expensive during the festival but some rooms have front facing balconies with prime private viewing!
• Earls Regency – 5 minutes out of town by tuk tuk, situated in the hills with glorious views and an international feel.

Tip: book accommodation in advance if you’re coming for the Esala Perahera as it does get booked up and can get quite pricey.

Getting to Kandy

Depending on where you are coming from, Kandy is easily accessible by train and bus from Colombo and the Hill Country.

I can’t recommend enough that if you are travelling from or to Ella that you take the train, to experience a truly beautiful journey.

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